


That's Touching

by Demial



Series: Shifter Reader [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Consent Issues, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-09-28 16:14:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10135637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demial/pseuds/Demial
Summary: An alternate Chapter 2 forInappropriate Touchingwhere Genji never found out what Reader did in Chapter 1. I originally never intended to continue this at all, but then I had an idea. Chapter 1 of this starts off heavy but becomes less so as it goes on. Will have fluffy ending this time, I promise!Proofread by the awesomepoutypanic!My Tumblr





	1. Seriously Inappropriate Touching

**Author's Note:**

> Reader's special ability as an Overwatch agent is the ability to transform into different Overwatch characters at will.

"My room is next to yours, you know," said Dr. Ziegler during one of your recent appointments, as you sat on the exam table.

You had gone to see her about increasing fatigue after missions. Something tied to shifting too much, you figured. She dropped her friendly bedside manner quickly. You knew she had a stern side to her, but right now she was behaving like an ice queen. Her tone was sharp and her eyes were cold.

"Oh. Okay."

"The walls are quite thin, you know."

"Oh. Was I too loud while you were sleeping?"

"I was already awake," she said, "I heard...sounds...are you and Genji...?"

"No, we're not..."

Oh. _Oh, no_. She heard you in the bathroom that one night.

"I don't understand," she shifted from one foot to the other, regarding you were like a colony of bacteria under a microscope, "I know what I heard."

The two of you had a staredown. Well, it was more like she scrutinized you with narrowed eyes and her intimidating beauty, and you tried to school your facial features into something more neutral. You failed. Shocked flickered across her face.

A strange expression slowly bloomed in its place. A smile you had never seen on her before. She placed her datapad and stethoscope on the nearby sink counter.

"I will make you a deal," she paused, but you didn't know what to say, so she continued, "Do me a favour, and I won't tell him what you did."

You knew she was smart, but you never expected the normally caring and friendly Dr. Ziegler to use her smarts against you. It threw you for a loop. When you didn't answer yet again, she laid it out for you.

"Have sex with me, as _him_ , and I will keep this between us."

You were through being shocked, so you started to consider her offer. Why did she ask for this? You thought they would have made a good pair, so why ask you? Had he rejected her? Looking at her now, you could guess why he might have.

You seriously considered her offer. Your reputation for being professional was essential to your ability to fight. If everyone found out you had been caught doing unsavoury things with one of their bodies, they might assume the worst. That you had been doing these things to all of them. No one would trust you to shift anymore. What good were you then?

You nodded your agreement slowly and shifted to Genji. You hoped your transformation was an agreement that needed no words. You felt disgusted enough about this without having to voice any words.

"I have another appointment to get to in half an hour," she said, stepping towards you, "We need to get started right now."

You took a deep breath, in and out, and steeled yourself. You just needed to get through this, and you were in the clear.

You felt her touches to varying degrees depending on where her fingers went. She concentrated on the grey-brown areas, which was unsurprising. She run her fingernails up your sides while nibbling the inner thighs. You pressed your hand to your mouth in an effort to hide your breath deepening. She lingered near the groin, kissing into the parts there. There was a pregnant pause, where she looked up in your eyes with a burning behind them. But the fire was not for you, and it made your stomach do a nervous flip. You suddenly wished she'd hurry up.

In no time flat, she released Genji's cock and pumped it a few times, roughly. More rough than you would have been. You moaned pathetically. The way she worked you made you wonder how she knew what she was doing. She took a step back.

Dr. Ziegler stepped out of her shoes. She unbuttoned her black pants and they slid to the floor. She shimmied quickly out of her pink panties. Her eyes burned into yours the entire time, and you felt smaller and smaller as each piece of clothing was removed.

She wasted no time mounting you. She stopped to run her hands up your chest and sides one more time. You could feel the warmth from between her legs radiating downward onto Genji's erect cock. The way she hopped on you and left her upper body clothed spoke volumes of the filthy nature of the situation. She wanted nothing but a quick fuck on her exam table from you, but it wasn't you she was seeing beneath her. And she was willing to blackmail you to get what she wanted. You wondered how many people knew she had a side like this.

You had had enough of not being in control of this. In an effort to make the situation more bearable, you grabbed her face and crashed your lips against hers. She willingly let your tongue into her mouth immediately. You tasted black coffee. You practically attacked the inside of her mouth with your tongue and wrapped an arm around her body to press down on her lower back. A signal to get on with it already. She removed a hand from your chest to guide you into her warmth.

Feeling how warm she was didn't feel good like you thought it would. All it did was highlight how you didn't want to be here. You didn't want this. Her passion was not for you. The way her wet walls squeezed around your dick, and the way she was pressing you onto the exam table made you feel trapped. You tried to fight your rapidly rising panic, but a noise escaped your mouth into hers. She misread the sound as one of pleasure and started to grind down on your pelvis. Your feeling of panic exploded in size to fill your chest and you started to hyperventilate.

A tear slid down your face. It landed on her cheek. She must have noticed, because she took her tongue from your mouth and leaned back. A shocked expression was on her face.

She may have finally realized what she was doing to you, but you had no time for it. You didn't care. You wanted out of here _now_. You pushed her off with all of Genji's might, ignoring whether or not she landed on the floor. You felt too vulnerable to be yourself, so you shifted to Reaper. He was one of the only other forms that was almost fully covered. Thick, black fabric protected your skin from her gaze, and his chest armour kept your heart from pounding out of your chest. His mask hid your terrified expression.

The first escape you saw was the window. Taking one of Reaper's clawed gloves, you swiped across the glass, easily shattering it. You flung yourself out of the window without a thought to your safety. You collapsed into smoke before hitting the ground below. You sped along it without a destination mind. You just wanted to be elsewhere. As far as possible from what just happened. And the impending ramifications. Even if it meant never returning to the watchpoint.


	2. Running Away

You had to get out of Gibraltar. And to do that, you decided that you should steal onto a boat. A big enough one that you could lose yourself on it. You decide that the best time to do that would be after nightfall.

You pondered what to do before then. There were enough hours left in the day that you needed to find something to do, or else you would give in to thinking about what just happened. You glanced up at Gibraltar Rock. It was the only thing that stood out on this peninsula, literally and figuratively. It jutted up sharply into the sky, and it was blanketed in green. You had always wanted to climb up there and admire the view of the ocean. It would probably make you feel better right about now, but there would also be tourists. And people were the last thing you wanted to face right now.

After dismissing that option, you realized you were hungry. Your panic and anxiety had worn off, leaving an incredibly needy stomach in its wake. You almost couldn't think.

You decided to make your way down to the market near the harbour. There has to be one, if there was any fishing industry. Collapsing back into black mist, you flowed across the grass plains towards the white buildings of the harbour.

You decided on using Tracer's Slipstream form to go about the city just because it was sunny, and you wanted sunglasses. Before starting out, you glared down at her Chronal Accelerator, annoyed at the lack of any casual forms for your former fellow agents.

Former.

The realization was upsetting, so you dropped the whole train of thought and focused on walking. You might have gotten a few stares, but you were busy avoiding meeting anyone's gaze to care. You eventually did find a market. A farmer's market. What luck. It would be easy to get away if you were caught stealing. On the other hand, it was easy to see who you were stealing from. You quickly made your decision to steal a few apples, oranges, and a bag of nuts, before Recalling.

You found a back alley and sat down to feast on your little meal. You stuffed all of it in, because you were unlikely to steal another one later. You didn't think you could go through with it again. The rest of the day was spent people watching from high up. All your experience being Genji had taught you the best ways to climb onto roofs with little difficulty. You also napped in the sun once, but loud seagulls interrupted with their piercing calls.

You woke up, and jumped to your feet. You chased the stupid birds for a bit to make yourself feel better. It worked somewhat. Then you sat your butt back down on the roof to gaze out onto the harbour. That's when you spotted a large, white boat. It was rather fancy-looking. Maybe it was a small cruise ship? You had no idea. In fact, you had no idea what you were doing overall. You hardly had a plan, except I gotta leave.

All you knew was that you couldn't go back. Going back would mean explaining why you left. And what happened before that. And if Dr. Ziegler denied everything, who were they going to believe? Some asshole who admitted to abusing their fellow agent's body or their beloved field medic, who they had a long history with?

No. You were getting on that ship, you thought to yourself, making your way down to it. It was big enough that there had to be food stored on board for you to steal. More stealing. Great. But you were already going to stow away, so how's stealing some food that much worse? You stood next to the boat. You stared at the white paint and chrome trim and sighed. There were few heroes who could blend in while in an environment of that colour. You closed your eyes and shifted. You opened one eye fearfully and looked down at Chrome Genji's hand.

That was a bad idea. All the emotions from earlier all came out, only slightly lessened. You felt trapped and scared and dirty and angry all at once. Your hands flew up to your faceplate in an effort to muffle the sob. Luckily, it was the tiniest sound. Pathetic, just like you felt.

"Shifter."

You nearly jumped two feet into the air, and no doubt Genji's body would be capable of such. After taking a second to collect yourself, you turned around, letting your hands fall back to your sides. It was Hanzo.

"Sorry to bother you," he said. His expression was serious. More so than usual. His topknot waved lightly in the ocean breeze, and his bow and arrows were missing from his back. His eyes flitted between your form and the boat, "We need you to return to the Watchpoint. Or rather, Genij needs you to return."

"...what?"


	3. He Needs You

The two of you jogged back to the watchpoint, and along the way he talked of why you needed to return. Kind of. Hanzo was being frustratingly vague. You needed something to distract you from your feelings, and focusing on what Hanzo told you worked for now.

"I will not ask what you were doing in the harbour. I am too concerned for my brother's safety to care."

You figured there was more to this, so you held your tongue.

"Do not tell him I said that," he grimaced, "Although, he will not understand right now if you told him."

"What? Is he unconscious or something? Did something happen?"

"No, and yes. Well, we wish he was unconscious."

You almost stopped after hearing that.

"Why? Is he injured and in that much pain?"

Your eyebrows pulled together in concern.

"No, but he is being a pain."

This was getting ridiculous. You spent almost the entire day upset, and now Hanzo was circling the issue while you were heading back to the source of your current anxiety.

"Hanzo! What the fuck," you pleaded loudly.

He stopped. You stopped as well.

"You will just have to see," he said with an air of being absolutely sure he was right.

You waved your hands in the universal sign that said 'wtf', but he ignored you and took off again. You followed.

You both arrived at the watchpoint, and you were impressed with Genji's stamina. You were also thoroughly impressed with Hanzo's. He jogged this whole way without a cyborg body. You hesitated at the door. It was terribly obvious that you didn't want to go in.

"What is it?"

"Is," you paused, thinking. You were grateful for Genji's faceplate. If Hanzo saw your face, he would know right away that you were trying to make up a lie, "Has...Dr. Ziegler looked Genji over yet?"

It was the perfect question. You were expressing concern for Genji's wellbeing, and Hanzo's answer would tell you if she was nearby.

"No. She has left. Hopefully, she will return soon. We need to confirm that my brother is in good health," he moved to push open the door. Maybe he was tired of waiting for you, "Perhaps you can help with that."

You stepped forward to follow him inside. After learning the doctor was absent, the feelings that had been screaming at you earlier died down to a buzz. Just noticeable. Hanzo stopped and turned around.

"Are you not going to shift back?"

"Right."

You did so, but you felt so naked.

After, going through the door, a loud noise hit your ears. More like, it smacked you in the face. It was piercing, impossible to ignore, and one of the most annoying things you'd ever heard. It was a screaming baby. Almost all the muscles in your body clenched. The baby's cries snuffed your last bit of patience. Before you could stop, you asked yourself, would they let you toss it off the watchpoint cliff?

"Did you bring Shifter?"

It was Lena. Normally her voiced cheered you, but she sounded nervous.

"I did," Hanzo made a disgusted noise, and you barely heard it over the racket, "Will he not stop?"

"Nope. I tried everything I could think of. Not even Torbjorn had any luck."

You had so many questions, and you wanted to demand answers. Why is there a baby here? Is it safe to have one here? Did it get orphaned when a mission went awry? Why the fuck won't it stop bawling?

"Thank goodness you're here," Lena exclaimed, walking towards you and Hanzo, "This little guy is trying even my patience."

You saw her lift the baby, which had dark hair and had on a shirt five times too big for it, and start to hand him to you. Time seemed to slow, and you waved your hands in front of you, trying to communicate your disagreement. No, no, no, no-

She put him in your hands. You awkwardly held him out from your body. Shit.

"What am I supposed to do with this," you asked loudly, trying to get yourself heard over the screaming.

The crying suddenly halted, and it left a ringing in your ears.

"Oh, thank god," said Hanzo.

You looked at the baby's face. You tried to demand why he went quiet with just a look. He didn't understand, of course. He regarded you with dark, almond-shaped eyes full of curiousity. You looked at Hanzo for answers.

Wait.

You looked back at the baby. And then at Hanzo.

"Is this...yours?"

"No."

"Then why does he look like you?"

Lena giggled. Hanzo shot her a look.

"Sorry! But their face!"

"Guys?! I thought you brought me back here because Genji needed me. Not this... _thing_ that you just handed me. Not happy about this, by the way."

"I would not say that," Hanzo stated with a raised eyebrow, "You are talking about your beloved ninja."

It clicked when you noticed the ridiculously thick eyebrows.

"What. The. _Fuck_."

"I wouldn't say that in front of a baby, Love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The different direction is revealed!


	4. I Never Asked for This

The way everyone spoke after handing you Genji, you got the impression that they wanted you to be his parent now.

"Why not Hanzo?! He's _your_ relative!"

He looked sheepish. It was cute on a normally serious man's face, but it wasn't an answer.

"I could not get him to stop crying..."

"That's a pretty shakey reason," you said.

"That is not all. You may have thought you were being subtle, but everyone knows about your relationship with my brother," said a more serious Hanzo, "And you were the one who got him to stop screaming. He had been doing so. For several hours."

You squinted at Genji.

"You got me there."

Lena came forward and moved your arms and hands into a better position, so that you were holding the baby against your upper body. Genji grabbed the neck of your shirt. She rested her hand on your upper arm.

"This is weird," you said. You were stating the obvious, but you couldn't help it.

Just in case no one else noticed how odd this was, even for an organization such as Overwatch. You didn't want to deal with this, as much as you wanted Genji to be safe and taken care of while he was like this. Come to think of it, surely this was going to be temporary? This seems like the kind of thing that Winston or Dr. Ziegler should solve. Wait, no. Not Dr. Ziegler. You didn't want that manipulating woman getting her hands on baby Genji.

"I know," Lena said, interrupting your thoughts, "And you're probably thinking, How am I gonna to do this? But you got us!"

"Okay, okay. I get this. But _why_ is he liked this?"

She laughed and waved your question away.

"Lena? What did you do?"

"There may have been an accident when I Recalled, and...it took him with me..."

You jumped back half a step.

"That can happen?!"

She looked a little hurt, and it made you deflate a little.

"It's always been a possibility. Just a fraction of a fraction of one. Winston would explain better."

"I doubt I'd get it. Oh, is he working on a solution?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank god."

Meanwhile, Reinhardt and Torbjorn are walking towards the watchpoint doors, carrying baby supplies for what are no doubt going to be strange days ahead.

"Watch where you swing that, you giant oaf!"

"Sorry, friend. I didn't realize you were right behind me. I'm so used to losing you among the blades of grass. You must ask for me how the ants fair."

Torbjorn mutters to himself angrily and keeps walking.

"...hey, Reinhardt?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe you should let me see your helmet later."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It needs adjusting, because of how fat your head's gotten."

Reinhardt paused to look at his friend.

"...that's actually not a good one."

"I'm tired! Get off my back!"

Reinhardt threw open the door and yelled, "We're back!"

"Quiet," Torbjorn barked, "Do you want him to start up again?!"

You could tell everyone wanted to give you all their support and advice right now, but Torbjorn took one look at the both of you and demanded you go to bed. _Thank god_ , you thought. The events of today were exhausting. The added loudness of Reinhardt on top of everything made you want to bite everyone's heads off, despite your affection for them.

Everything after that was a blur, because you fought to keep your eyes open. Genji fell asleep in your arms on the way to your room. When you got there, you had no choice; Genji had to sleep in your room and in your bed with you. If he didn’t, you weren't sure if he would start to cry again. You didn't want to have to explain to Hanzo that you tossed his baby brother off the cliff for real. You placed Genji on the side of the bed closest to wall, pulled your socks off, and crawled into the blankets.

"Fuck. I'll deal with this in the morning. After sleep," you whispered to the sleeping Genji.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus, Reader. What's with the filthy mouth?


	5. It's a Baby, You Idiot

You wake up, and despite Genji greeting you with a clueless smile, you don't feel fully rested. You're grumpy. You want to march down to Winston's lab and demand when he can fix him, but then you'd have to possibly face other people along the way. Babies always attract baby-lovers, and you shouldn't inflict your morning bitchiness on others. You get dressed and replace Genji's shirt with one of your own. You may not know what you're doing, but he can at least wear a clean piece of clothing until you get your hands on something his size. You push the sleeves up his arms, so that he's not comically waving them around. Then you laugh out loud, because what would the adult Genji say if he saw himself like this?

There's a knock at the door, and you're not ready to see people yet, but there's only one person when you open it. It's Torbjörn.

Torbjörn wheels in a makeshift crib. It was one of the standard watchpoint beds with adjustable bars welded on the sides. He places it near the wall opposite your own bed and turns to you.

"It's too bad about Angela bein' gone, but he seems healthy to me."

You glanced down to see that Genji had grabbed the neck of your shirt again, and this time it had been in his mouth. It was soaked with drool. You made a disgusted face.

"Could you not?"

He ignored you to stare curiously at Torbjörn.

"I'm assuming you aren't stupid enough put him on the floor to sleep last night, and that you both slept in the bed."

He could be a real jerk sometimes, but he was helping you when you sorely needed it.

"Yeah."

"Yes, well, you don't want to roll over in your sleep and crush him. And that's what this is for," he said, patting the crib.

It took a second for what he said to sink in.

"Oh! Oh, right. No crushing the baby. I'm still new to this."

Torbjörn eyed you, trying to figure out if you being snarky or not, but you were busy trying to get the image of a Genji pancake out of your mind. It was horrifying. Just why are you being entrusted with this, again?

Torbjörn had decided to move on, so he next showed you how to lock the bars on the crib in an upright position. And how it had a built-in changing table. He turned around to see another horrified expression on your face. He sighed in disappointment.

"Let me show you how to change a diaper."

Your eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"No," you replied, with conviction.

"You didn't think you were going'ta get away with not doing that, were you?"

"Well..."

"I've done it hundreds of times. It's easy. You just need practice, and you'll be getting plenty!"

You're half paying attention while he shows you, because you're thinking about hanging this over Genji's head when he's an adult again. It's the least you get out of having to do this awful thing. Before he hands Genji back, he pries open Genji's mouth.

"No teeth. Hm. That's young," he mutters to himself. Genji grabs Torbjörn's hand with both of his tiny ones, "Did you feed him yet?"

"No."

He doesn't reply and just hands you Genji. You almost feel bad for the poor boy. Surely he deserves a better caregiver?

"I'll have Reinhardt put the rest of the things you need in here," Torbjörn said, looking around the room. You could tell the gears were turning in his head. He stopped when he noticed you standing there with a blank expression, " _Feed_ the boy," he ordered.

"Alright, alright," you said, hurrying out of the room.

Hanzo met you outside the room. That took you by surprise, until you noticed he looked slightly nervous.

"You're worried about your brother," you accuse, smiling.

"I guess you could say that."

You raised an eyebrow.

"Wanna help me figure out how to feed him?"

"I guess."

You both headed to the kitchen. Reinhardt hadn't put anything in here for you, yet, because all you found was some applesauce. You take turns trying to get Genji to eat, but he refuses the food from both of you.

Lucio and D.Va are in the kitchen, too, and they're giggling at your predicament.

"You guys are clueless!"

Hanzo shot Lucio an unimpressed look.

"What do you suggest, then? You are barely old enough to have your own children."

"I can do a better job than you. Give him here. I'll get him to eat. Guaranteed," Lucio promised, holding out his arms.

"Worth a try," you said, handing Genji over.

Lucio held Genji on his lap. You and Hanzo watched as Lucio cooed at Genji with baby talk. He buttered the baby up with talk of what a good boy and how cute he was. Lucio was being as sweet as you'd ever expect him to be. You rolled your eyes.

"This really works?"

"I think that my brother's ego is big enough as it is," muttered Hanzo.

"Guys! He's a _baby_ ," Lucio gently scolded, slipping the spoon inside Genji's mouth.

"Shit! He did it!"

"Hmph," said Hanzo.

Genji is much more receptive to you and Hanzo feeding him after that.

"Hey, have you guys seen McCree lately?" Lucio asks.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Must be on a mission."

Everyone murmured their agreement.


	6. This is My Life Now

The first week of you properly caring for Genji started out stressfully. You made Lena make good on her promise to help. At first, you were really frustrated that a person could not just _tell_ you without crying that they were hungry or needed their diaper changed, even if they were tiny. There were times when you wanted to cry along with Genji, because you had no idea what he wanted. If Lena hadn't been there with her positive attitude, you'd have given up on the second day.

The only thing that hampered Lena's help was that any time you left Genji's sight, he cried. You handed him to Lena once, and he wailed when you closed the door behind you to use the bathroom.

This resulted in some awkward times where you had to hold him in your lap while on the toilet, with you giving him a look that said, why are you like this? Your solution for showering was to do it less and to wheel his crib in the door far enough that he could see you through the glass shower door. You were annoyed, but you couldn't refuse Genji's crying. By this point, you had much greater respect for people who were actual parents. 

While awkward, it otherwise struck you as amazing. Genji was to attached to you. His helpless self was _your_ responsibility. Not Hanzo's. Not his own brother, one of his few remaining relatives that you knew about. But why? It was useless to speculate, because he wasn't going to explain anytime soon. Taking a deep breath in and out, this was the first time you started to accept your new role as baby Genji's caregiver.

"Okay. Maybe I can do this."

You and Lena had newfound motivation after that, and she helped you and Genji establish a routine, which you found to be strangely relaxing. Also, Genji now had baby clothes. They were all stupidly cute or stupidly funny, because everyone pitched in. His clothing ranged from tiny shirts with Engrish slogans like "tea time" with a baseball underneath to onesies shaped like animals. He even had a dragon one that Reinhardt bought him. Honestly, you were a little jealous.

By now, it had been several days before you had trained. You missed the freedom. Soaring into the air as Pharah and then floating down as Mercy. Dashing through enemies with Genji and then Recalling with Tracer to finish them off with her pistols. So when Lena decided you didn't need nearly as much as help as before, she abandoned you to go train herself. 'Abandon' wasn't the right word to use for a nice person like her, but it felt like it. She left you standing there with drool on your shirt and a look on your face that said, Without me?!

Genji got better about you leaving him to do normal things as the days went by. It gave you the perfect excuse to shower him with attention when he cried. Kisses all over his soft baby face, holding his tiny hands, and if you were honest, you might have caressed his face with your fingertips more than you wanted to admit. It wasn't something you could have done with the adult Genji, what with his faceplate an ever present thing. So it was a little bit strange to compare your behaviour now to before, but little Genji seemed to love it.

Still, you didn't blame him for being upset. You'd be upset, too, if all of a sudden you were a tiny, helpless human after being an awesome cyborg ninja that could glow green at will and jump really high.

"You know how cool you are, right," You asked him one chill afternoon.

No answer. Still, you had to ask, 

"Does Hanzo know how cool you are?"

Blank stare. Undeterred, you continued,

"I bet he does. I bet he's jealous."

You booped his nose.

"I bet he's secretly proud of you."

You shifted him to a more comfortable position in your lap.

"I'm oversimplifying, aren't I? I bet there's all this baggage that Hanzo drags around, and that makes it hard to see things clearly. I can't imagine dragging around that much baggage for...what? Ten years? What about...your baggage? I don't think I've seen you have a bad day. Yet. That's a little sad to think about. You know I'm asking you like this right now, because it's easier, right? There's no chance you'll judge me or get upset at me for prying."

"Are you going to remember any of this when we fix you?"


	7. Hmmm...

Hanzo had taken to inviting himself to join you and Genji when you left your room. You'd have liked to hide away all day, every day, but you figured it was probably wise that a baby gets some fresh air. You were sitting in the grass, tossing Genji up in the air and catching him, shifting between each toss. Genji seemed to love this game. He squealed for every shift. Sometimes, it was almost too easy to please this boy.

You ended the game as cyborg Genji and brought the baby version close to your visor.

"Waddya think? Don't you look cool?!"

He reached for the green glow and left smudgy fingerprints on the glass.

"Bad boy!"

"I think they sent McCree in search of Dr. Ziegler," Hanzo said casually.

You immediately turned your head towards Hanzo. He looked as nonchalant as he sounded, reading a book. Genji took the opportunity to grab at the ribbon on the back of your helm.

"What? Why do you say that?"

You must have asked those questions a little too quickly and eagerly, because Hanzo turned his head slowly towards you.

"You are very concerned with my brother's health."

He said each word as if he had considered them carefully before speaking. Shit. Was he on to you?

"Of course I am," and that wasn't a lie, "But things don't feel right, do they? I didn't think about it before now, because I've been busy."

It's obvious how true that last part is, so you received no argument. Hanzo looked up from his book and nodded towards you. You felt a tug from the back of your head.

"Knock that off, you little..."

You didn't finish the sentence, because Genji was smiling mischievously at you.

"Fiiine. Stop being cute," you brought him down to your lap to free up a hand, "Is this how you charmed so many people into your bed before going cyborg?"

You gently extricated the ribbon from his little fingers. His face looked like he was about to cry, so you flicked some shuriken out of your right hand. His face grew eager, and he reached for them.

" _No_. Just watch," you told him, flicking them back inside, "See?"

He looked serious when they disappeared, as if he couldn't for the life of him figure out the magic behind it, but he immediately laughed when you made the shuriken appear again.

"Look at his eyebrows go up and down while he's making expressions," you said, smiling, "It's ridiculous."

"Be careful about getting too attached to him while he is like this," Hanzo warned.

Keeping an eye on your little game with Genji to make sure he didn't grab the sharp little projectiles, you mulled over your reply. What he said was true. If he stayed like this, you'd never have to tell him the truth about the shit that had happened. You grimaced inwardly, because you knew that would be running away from the problem. Not dealing with it.

"That's true," you replied absentmindedly.

"Hm."

Hanzo sounded like he knew you would agree. Why does this man always think he right?

On the other hand, you'd miss out on all the things that attracted you to Genji in the first place. You'd miss watching him fight, his playful and easygoing nature, and his wisdom, earned from everything he'd gone through until now. Hopefully, Winston found a solution to this soon.

"Does he need something?"

Genji had stopped reacting sometime while you were thinking.

"Yeah, it's almost time for his nap. _Our_ nap," you answered, laughing. Taking care of this boy was exhausting in its own way.

"Right. Heh."

Come to think of it, you weren't the only person running from their problems, were you? You bet that Hanzo only stuck near right now, because he and Genji weren't able to put in the awkward and painful work their relationship needed. At least while Genji was like this. He only had to enjoy being near his brother again after all these years. You had an idea of how to help with that, and your plan would free up some time to go see Winston. But you decided it was wise to wait until at least tomorrow to try anything.


	8. Moving Forward

"Hanzo?"

"Hmm?"

"Would it be easier for you if you told Genji how you felt while he was like this? As practise?"

"Excuse me?"

You were nervous. You weren't sure if Hanzo would explode on you and stop keeping you and Genji company. You'd grown to appreciate his presence, and even though it might not be your business, you thought it was a good thing that Hanzo spent so much time near Genji.

"What I'm trying to say is," you chanced a look at Hanzo. He was staring into your eyes without blinking, "I assume you guys have things to talk about, and the rumours about the watchpoint are that things could be better between you. I mean, I could be wrong about that, but telling Genji anything you want to tell him now could be like practising a speech in a mirror. Only...better?"

Hanzo looked away, but he didn't yell at you or resume reading his book. He stared down at the grass for a while. You held Genji tight, using him as an emotional anchor to help deal with your nervousness until Hanzo spoke up again.

"The rumours are true," he said, "I will not lie to you. That means I won't lie and tell you that what you said wasn't ineloquent and clumsy," you made a face, "But..."

Hanzo went quiet again. His eyes left yours, and he gazed at Genji sitting in your lap. You thought you saw something that looked like tears collecting on his lower lashline. But you didn't know him that well, so you couldn't be sure. Instead of continuing his sentence, he held out his arms to you. You got up and gave him his baby brother. The expression on his face suggested he was nervous, but that he only had eyes for Genji right now. The emotions were clearly starting to bubble up and overwhelm him already.

"I want to go talk to Winston, okay? If Genji gets cranky, Athena will let you into my room, so that you can put him down for a nap."

You walked away before Hanzo could change his mind. Time to pay the scientist a visit and get some answers.

Winston stared at his blackboard, lost in concentration. The math was wrong again. He knew it. And that was because he had Mei double-check it this time. He dipped his finger into his peanut butter jar absentmindedly and then sucked the peanut butter off said finger. He almost drooled; he was concentrating so hard.

"I thought you were on a diet, Commander," whispered a deep, soft voice to his right.

"Right...right," he replied.

He licked his finger one more time, and he slowly extended his arm to the side and made to put the jar on a desk that wasn't next to him. A hand caught the jar, so that it clattering to the floor didn't break his concentration.

You held the jar, and with Winston's own hands as your own, you went to town on the peanut butter. It was the kind with sugar and salt in the list of ingredients, so that made it easy to down mouthful after mouthful. The sound of the wet pop of your finger leaving your mouth finally alerted Winston to your presence and broke his concentration.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm Winston."

"I can see that," he said, staring purposefully at you and at the peanut butter jar.

"Winston eats peanut butter."

He sighed gruffly.

"Feeling silly today, Shifter?"

"Feeling pretty good. Genji's a good boy, but getting a break from babysitting was just what I needed."

"Huh."

"I also need some information," you said, handing back the jar.

He took it and sat down. You sat in front of him, as well, to be polite.

"I was hoping you would wait until Jesse came back. I didn't mean to put this off in such a suspicious manner, but you must have figured out what I'm working on."

"Yeah. And I appreciate that. I think everyone does. In fact," you thought about it for a moment, "Everyone has been really generous with their time about this."

"You saying 'it takes a village', Shifter?"

"Yeah. And as warm and fuzzy as that is...it shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't be raising a goddamn baby. Which is probably why you're working so hard."

He nodded.

"Wait...what _are_ you working on?"

"That is why I'm the scientist and not you!"

You smiled in amusement.

"I'm listening."

"The cause of Genji's condition doesn't concern me as much as the solution. I know what I'm going to do to bring him back to his proper state. I've got a prototype for Tracer's chronal accelerator ready for modification. I want to bring him forward in time to where he should be."

"That's some sci-fi shit."

"Yes. So, as I was saying, the solution's the problem. It evades me. I can't get the math right. I won't bother you with the details, but this is just going to take time. And it's going to be boring. For you. Frustrating for me."

"I get it. Well, I don't understand the science, but you know what I mean. Just gotta wait, you mean?"

"Exactly!"


	9. The Return of the Cowboy

Sombra and Widowmaker are walking down the streets of London, in between missions. Reaper was absent, not that he could have been walking along a sidewalk in the middle of the day, anyway. Widowmaker didn't care that Reaper was gone, but Sombra felt his presence like a knight missing a piece of armour. She knew Reyes had been reassigned elsewhere and felt a little naked. Amelie was fine, and she kept walking and chatting with Sombra. Except that Sombra was doing most of the talking, and Widowmaker is walking the sidewalk like it's a fashion runway, with her waterproof highheel boots and knee-length, fitted raincoat. Sombra was jealous of Amelie for her fashion sense, but that's the only thing she was jealous of. So she kept it to herself. And she was competitive.

"Ergh. Where's Gabe?"

"Doing god-knows-what, god-knows-where," came the apathetic reply. Widow barely took her mouth from the straw in her black iced coffee when she spoke.

"You're not helping."

Amelie ignored Sombra and continued to sip her coffee slowly, as if it was her current source of life and needed to be carefully rationed.

"They're going to keep splitting us up, you know?"

"There are just two of us; there is not much else to split."

"I'm just saying, we need to think of a reason for them to keep us together."

"And we need to stay together for what reason?"

"Because, _querida_ , we work well together."

"You are so bitchy," said Widow.

"Then you know I'm serious."

Amelie kept walking, but Sombra went silent. She walked exactly two inches to the left of Widow, staring up at her expectantly. Widow inclined her head slightly, waiting, but Sombra was patient.

"Ugh," spat Amelie, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. She turned her head so fast that her hair whipped around, "What is your plan?"

"I'm so glad you asked, my friend!"

Winston stood, puzzled, in front of his blackboard, yet again. He wiped out part of one equation and drew something else in its place.

"You have an incoming transmission from Agent McCree, Winston," Athena said.

"Patch him through," he said, climbing up to his computer.

"I know yer busy, Commander, but I have news."

"Of course."

"I found Mercy."

"Go on."

"She darn refused to tell me why she left, though."

"That's unusual."

"Yeah," McCree replied.

"Agent? Are you still there?"

"She cried, Commander."

"Bring her back, and we'll talk this over."

"...Right. McCree out."

A day later, Jesse had finally made it back to the watchpoint, done with whatever he was doing. He reported to Winston and then made a beeline to your room, intending to check on you and Genji. You were happy to see him, because you'd missed your friend. You also wanted to know where the heck he'd been. It's not often that a mission is secret, and that everyone wonders about it like they did.

McCree took Genji from your arms and pressed his nose to the baby's, smiling.

"Did you get a mite cuter since I left? I've only been gone a few days."

Genji giggled, his little dark eyes shining with glee.

"Jesse, what if the real Genji's still partly in there? What if he heard what you just said," you taunted playfully, digging your elbow into McCree's human arm.

"Now, _that_ would be embarrassin'."

McCree booped Genji's little nose.

"You forget that. That's an order."

You tilt your head and place your hands on your hips.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Where you been?"

McCree uses his forearm to hook underneath Genji's bottom, holding Genji against his chest. Genji immediately takes a handful of McCree's serape and stuffs it in his mouth. You're annoyed with this behaviour, but Jesse ignores it.

"Well, now. I've been...diggin'."

"Digging? For what? That's fuckin' suspicious the way you worded that."

He looked offended, and exaggeratingly so.

"What?! I just got back, and you wanna spit all over my words?!"

You stared long and hard at him with a raised eyebrow.

"This isn't like you to hide things from me."

He exhaled.

"Fine. I was just tryin' to have some courtesy, but you pulled it outta me. Let me just say that for the record."

"Pulled what? ...Jesse?"

His eyes go dark.

"I was sent to find Angela," that has you reeling inwardly, but outwardly, you're waiting for him to continue, "And she told me everything. Well, her side of the story."

"I see."

Your eyes leave Jesse's face, and they unfocus. Your mind is running at a million miles an hour, trying to figure out exactly what she said, who else she might have told, and how you can keep it from being told to anyone else. If anyone else found out, they would heap pity on you, and it would be the most awkward thing. You wanted to be as far away from the whole issue as possible.

You clenched your jaw in annoyance, still far away in your own mind, because you remembered you did promise yourself you wouldn't run away from this. And who would take care of Genji if you did run?

"Shifter!"

"...What?"

"Didn't ya hear me? I said I wanted to hear your side of it."

You gave him a tired look. The prospect of explaining everything felt like McCree was asking you to balance a stack of twenty greased adult elephants. You were pretty sure it would fall apart, and you'd be crushed under the weight of it.

"I'm not sure I can."

"Would a drink help? I know just the place. C'mon. It has a pachimari machine. You can win one for little Genji, here."

...Who is currently still drooling, a growing wet stain blooming in Jesse's serape.

"We can't take a baby to a bar, Jesse."

"You've been forgettin' someone very important to him. He'd make the perfect babysitter. I can't imagine Genji pitchin' a fit in his presence."

"Huh?"

"Zenyatta."

"Oh sh-"

You had the urge to tear Genji from McCree's arms, find Zenyatta, and shove Genji into his face, yelling, "LOOK! HE'S SAFE WITH ME! I PROMISE!" McCree laughed at your face.

"Relax. He's about the most forgiving person I've ever known."

"I really dropped the ball on that one."

"He's got enough of those," he said, grinning, "He don't need no more."

"Go back on a mission, Jesse."


	10. Secure Attachment

After a few strong drinks, you poured your heart out to your friend. When you were done being sad, you got angry. Jesse lent you change and let you beat your anger out on the pachimari machine. You smacked the arrow buttons over and over. The bartender ignored your violent enthusiasm. The owners of the bar probably didn't care about the machine; it stood neglected, covered in a layer of yellow dust. To your surprise, you won a pachimari, and a large one at that. It seems passion was the key to winning at these unfair games.

"Yes," you exclaimed, punching the air. It was the best thing to happen all day, second only to Jesse coming home from his mission.

A very welcome hug ended the night. Even though you fought it at first, it was such a relief to tell someone who cared. You made your way back to your room, intending to as politely as possible get Zenyatta out the door of your room as soon as possible, because you were exhausted again. Thankfully, it was way past Genji's bedtime, and you just had to give him a goodnight kiss and fall in bed. You periodically squeezed the large pachimari while walking down the hallway to relax. You hoped Genji would take to it.

You opened your door, and the scene inside your room put a stop to your plans. You saw the orbs dancing over Genji's crib. They cast a soft, flickering, yellow light all over the room. They orbited around an invisible centre, spinning like a mobile. Genji slept peacefully below, the light giving his skin a gold tint. Zenyatta was meditating when you arrived, but he floated off the bed towards you when he noticed you were there.

"Whoa," you said, still staring at the floating lights.

"Greetings, Shifter. I can tell your evening has lifted a weight off your shoulders."

Zenyatta gazed up at you from near your shoulder. He looked innocent enough, but you knew he was wiser than he let on.

"Uh, yeah."

"Genji was a joy to take care of. Much better than the first time I met him."

The little joke slipped past you, because you were still in awe. Zenyatta waited patiently next to you. You remembered yourself and your manners.

"Thank you! I really appreciate you taking care of Genji. Especially since he's very...human right now, and you're not."

"It may surprise you to know that I know how to take care of children. It was only natural to want to learn about it, given my interest in aiding others."

"You're amazing, Zenyatta."

He tittered.

"May you sleep as well as your ward, there."

He took each orb, one by one, because taking them all and snuffing their light might wake the baby. After he left, you placed the pachimari next to your bed, intending to show it to Genji in the morning. You fell asleep easily that night.

The next morning, McCree joined you for breakfast. His last mission was long enough that he had earned some time off. You almost wished you'd been on the mission with him, if it didn't involve a certain woman.

Genji mindlessly waved an arm at you. You glanced down at him. It was amazing how round his dark eyes were. In fact, each facial feature was adorably round, or adorably soft, and not to mention, tiny. Especially since he was behaving and not currently having his little butt being wiped during a diaper change. You grabbed the pachimari off the table and held it against his stomach. His grabbed a tentacle with each hand.

"You look like you never seen him before."

Before you knew it, your hand flew up to smack McCree's shoulder.

"Shut up. He's cute. Cuter than _you_."

"No one asked yer opinion on my facial features," he shot back, nevertheless grinning.

Looking at Jesse grin at you like the friend he was, you were reminded of the mission he'd recently been on. You weren't stupid; you knew you had have to deal with this Dr. Ziegler thing sometime soon, because Genji needed his physical exam. And if you were going to _not_ run away from the entirety of Overwatch like you originally wanted to, you had to deal with this head-on eventually. Normally, you would have run back to your room and hid, avoiding the issue altogether. Having Genji to take care of changed things. What a little jerk, you thought, pinching the tip of his nose gently, making me be an adult.

"Hey, Jesse. Can we talk about something?"

McCree seemed pleased that you wanted to move forward with this. It seemed that the 'good' doctor wanted to get this over with, as well, because you were able to see her later that day.

Sitting on the exam table, your feelings screamed at you that this was a mistake. It was too sudden. You didn't want to be here. You brought the pachimari toy again, holding it against his tummy again. You told yourself it was for the baby, but really, you wished you brought fifty of them, buried yourself underneath them all, and hid. Maybe Mercy wouldn't find you and leave.

"I'm dumb; why do you like me," you asked Genji absentmindedly.

Jesse had suggested she might take the opportunity to apologize to you, for what it's worth. "She'd fucking better," you replied. You didn't _want_ to hear her voice or see her face, really, but the least she could do was acknowledge that she did wrong. The nasty bitch. You were only going for Genji, but he seemed just fine. Did you really need to put him in her corrupt hands?

Dr. Ziegler entered the room and shut the door wordlessly. Genji fussed at you when you unconsciously squeezed him too hard. As a way of an apology, you offered the hem of your shirt for him to stuff into his mouth. He took it and kept one hand on the pachimari. You really needed him to behave right now.

"If you please, I would like to examine Genji," Dr. Ziegler requested, in her most careful, gentle tone.

You were stunned. You couldn't believe that was all she had to say. She didn't apologize or try to defend herself. She didn't even acknowledge what happened. A number of emotions ran through you, and at the forefront was anger. You were angry that she was behaving as if your feelings weren't important. For all you knew, she was going to keep it all a secret from as many people as possible. Keep it a dirty, little secret, so she could continue to do good out in the world with as much freedom as possible. What a hypocrite.

You would like to believe that Genji would support you if he was aware of what was going on. You didn't want to let go of him. You holding onto him was the only thing keeping you from either screaming at Dr. Ziegler or running away to cry. You really did not want to be here right now. Tension was starting to creep its way up through your body, making your muscles go stiff.

"No."

She wore a serious face. The kind you would see on a person experienced in working in customer service. It was fake, and it alarmed you that she was hiding behind a metaphorical mask.

"Please-"

You immediately stepped back and glared murder at her.

"No! Get away from me!"

The tension in your body was building to the point that your heart pounded frantically, making it feel like your blood was trying to burst from its vessels. McCree opened the door and strode into the room. He must have heard you yelling. He also must have seen some strong emotions on your face, because he pulled you out into the hallway to calm you down.

"Hey, hey. Take a breather."

"I don't think I can do this," you told him, shaking your head. Your body was still buzzing with tension.

"I thought you said you would try to get along with'er. What in tarnation happened?"

"I tried! She just...she acted like nothing happened! I don't understand," you said, shifting Genji onto your hip. You held him ever so gently, as if you were worried your anger would hurt him, "Why did she do this? You want me to give Genji to _her_?I almost hit her. That bitch is lucky I'm holding a baby!"

McCree looked like he wasn't ready to let this go just yet. You weren't surprised. This didn't seem like it was going to be a cut and dry issue.

"We need her. Overwatch needs her. All the innocent...the world needs her."

"You saying the mother-fucking _world_ needs me to forgive her? You're really saying that? Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Listen to me! I..."

"That is _bullshit_. What did Winston have to say about this?"

He shifted his cigarillo to the other side of his mouth before continuing. He walked a step forward to stand adjacent to you and put his hand on your arm. He really wanted you to listen to what he had to say. You really wanted to grab his wrist in a vise-like grip and pull it away.

"I'm not supposed ta tell you this, but there's trouble brewin'," you scrutinized him with narrowed eyes, "Talon has been making inroads into Spain, all secret-like, and I'm hearin' that Gibraltar's next."

"Fuck."

"You know what that means."

The conversation started to chip away at your anger.

"Arrrrgh. That means battles."

"Yeah."

"That means we'll need a field medic."

"Yeah, and...?"

"And that's Dr. Ziegler," you answered in a defeated tone.

"Bingo," he said, quietly and seriously.

You took a deep breath in and out. The situation had you feeling trapped. You couldn't get the closure you wanted; the punishment for Dr. Ziegler that you wanted. You weren't even sure what kind of punishment you think she deserved. You were angry and you wanted _something_ done to her. But you couldn't deny what McCree was saying. You were suddenly more aware of the weight of Genji in your arms. A secure Gibraltar means a secure watchpoint, and a secure watchpoint means a safe baby Genji.

"I guess this is one of those times where you can make an adult decision. Or not."

"I'm sorry, Shifter," he said sympathetically.

He sounded like he really meant it. As if he wanted to do more for you but couldn't. Why did he have to say something like that? Now you couldn't answer without choking up.

"Y-yeah."

"C'mere," he said, taking Genji from your arms while you kept hold of the toy. He lifted the baby up to his side with one arm and took his cigar from his mouth, making space in front of him. With his free arm, he brought you in for a hug.

"I can't do this," you sobbed into his serape.

You pressed your face to it and took in the smells of McCree. The twin scents of cigar smoke and old coffee, coupled with slight body odor and something else you didn't recognize. Still, it was your friend, and it felt familiar all the same.

"Then let me."

You took your face from the fabric to look at him. He stared back seriously, but his eyes shined, as if he wasn't sure you would start to freak out again.

"...what?"

"Let me take Genji in."

"You mean...you mean..."

"You can't hang onta him all the time."

That was true. How did you end up so attached? He wasn't your baby. You stepped back from Jesse, and he turned around to walk into the examination room. Moderate panic set in when the door shut. You refused to leave. You sat down on the floor with your back against the wall to wait. You squeaked the pachimari, but the sound seemed to mock you instead of giving comfort.


	11. Nah, We're Alright

It seemed like forever and a day before Jesse finally came out to give Genji back to you. It took so long, you almost thought they had decided _not_ to give him back. You felt no shame in the way you eagerly reached for baby Genji when Jesse held him out. You immediately folded your arms, clutching his tiny body to yours. The thoughts, He isn't yours, and He's mine to protect, warring inside your head. He was safe again. That much you knew.

"He's fine," Jesse confirmed what you already knew, as you cradled him to your chest.

You started to speedwalk down the hallway away from the examination room. McCree followed.

"Of course he is," you almost snapped.

I would know, you thought. Not that... _woman_.

"She say anything?"

You did, and didn't, want to ask the question, but you wanted to know that Dr. Ziegler regretted her actions. Any scrap of information that suggested this would do. Maybe there was a chance of moving forward, away from the anger and sadness and everything else.

"No."

Chance dashed. You couldn't believe what an unfeeling machine she was being. Correction, unfeeling lump of rock. Even machines had feelings in this day and age.

"Not even about...?"

Not even about me, my feelings, my situation... _my stress_ , you wanted to scream. But Jesse didn't deserve to be screamed at.

"Nope. Nothin'."

Your face twisted into an ugly expression of rage.

"I'm gonna..."

"You're gonna what?"

You met his eyes. He blinked at you, with one raised eyebrow, like you were about to throw a tantrum like a child. So you stuck your bottom lip out like one.

"Fine, I won't do anything. I'm no asshole. Unlike _her_."

"Uhuh. I'm gonna tell ya what yer gonna do."

That was not what you wanted to hear right now. You had the urge to clock him in the face.

"You're gonna tell me what to do?!"

"Yes, because you're fit to be tied right now. Go put yourselves down for a nap. Don't make that an order."

You grumbled, but it was true. You left McCree with an amiable enough goodbye and walked towards your room, knowing things were a mess right now. You couldn't do anything about it. You wanted to cry. Really, just sit down, curl up under your blankets, and cry it out. It felt like there was a weight attached to every limb as you trudged down the hallway. Something told you that you should push on, get some extra sleep, and hope that tomorrow was better. Besides, being a good caregiver meant taking care of yourself, too.

Good thing you did get that extra sleep, because Winston called an emergency meeting the next morning.

McCree only half listened to Winston explain the situation. It was alarming, yes, that Talon had made inroads into Gibraltar so quickly, but right now he was worried about you. He watched your eyes dart around the room, taking in that everyone was already in full kit, ready to leave at a moment's notice. He was proud of them all for being so efficient, and he smiled to himself. Lord knows he isn't that quick. Being second in command saved his bacon there; he had already known about this meeting before anyone else. Naw, he was worried only about you because you had a tendency to overreact emotionally and assume the worst. If he had to guess right now, he would say that you were imagining a scenario where everyone else had failed in the coming battle, leaving you as the only thing on this green Earth between Talon and your babyfied boyfriend.

Someone might ask him why he liked to fuss over you, and he did fuss, albeit from a distance. He might admit, after a whiskey, that he enjoyed having someone to look after at his age. He certainly didn't have any children, and for good reason. He mused that he now had this desire in common with his former mentor, Ana Amari.

Damn that woman; he missed her, despite her expert ability to kick the legs out from under anyone and knock them down to size. McCree sort of wished he had that in common with her instead, then decided nah, he did alright. Not perfect, but he did alright.

The meeting was over. Jesse got up to saunter over to you, to inform you that yes, you could come along. And no, no one was leaving you behind. That meant, of course, that you had to stay locked up tight in the Orca, safe as can be. If you argued, he planned to use the safety of Genji against you. You were such a sucker for doing what was best for him, even if you had no idea what that was sometimes. It was cute.


	12. Ugh

"Everything's fine," you informed Genji.

He didn't exactly disagree with you, but he didn't agree either. You wish he would, because you couldn't even convince yourself everyone was fine out there. Something seemed so off, and you couldn't figure out what it was. Which was strange, because you were alone, inside the Orca. The only danger you were in was if you ran out of diapers.

"You're adorable, and I love you, but I wish you were back to your old self."

"He _is_ cute. Tell me Shifter, why is a baby here?"

Sombra voice made you jump. So you were right. Something was off. She must have snuck in when the door opened initially, when everyone went out.

The way she spoke, as if she belonged here, made your skin prickle with irritation. Lucky for you, she made the mistake of thinking her surprise would result in you just sitting there, stunned. She was wrong. You immediately stood, shifting to Genji, and moved to block her view of him. Your hand went to your wakazashi.

"Sombra is in the Orca," you said into the comm.

"Tsk tsk tsk. That was a mistake," she scolded, raising her machine pistol, "Sure, you could deflect my bullets, but my gun sprays so many. Who's to say a few won't hit your precious _Mijo_ over there?"

She smiled as if she had already won.

" _Acknowledged,_ " answered McCree.

" _Hold tight. On my way,_ " said Tracer.

And just like that, Genji had become a liability. Because now you were frozen. Your brain short-circuited every time you considered a situation where Genji ended up wounded. Dread started to sink into your body like rain water sinking into the ground.

Genji fussed behind you, and it was the only thing that could distract you at the moment.

Something nudged at your mind. Your grip on the wakazashi slackened. Then the something nudged harder, like someone pushing a finger on the back of your head. It drew your attention to the Dragonblade on your back. You wrestled your attention, trying to focus on the gun pointed at your face.

Again, your attention drifted to the second sword. But you already had your wakazashi in hand. You never used the Dragonblade. You weren't a Shimada, so if you pulled it, no dragon would pop out. It was an understandable limit to your ability to shift; you were existing as a copy of the original form, not the real thing.

You felt the nudge again, and you felt a little dizzy. Sombra was speaking, but you couldn't listen. The nudge felt like a demand this time, like someone was yelling into your brain, but there were no intelligible words.

"Fine!"

Sombra looked surprised at your frustrated outburst.

You drew the Dragonblade, spinning it on either side of your body like you had seen Genji do many times before. You expected nothing to happen and for Sombra to start shooting at you.

Something forced you to shift. That was a little scary, because that had never happened before. Suddenly, you were really tall. You were looking down at Sombra. She looked up at you in dumb awe and lowered her machine pistol.

" _Al la fregada con esta chingadera_."

She disappeared. She must have used her translocator. You made a frustrated noise, but it came out as a quiet growl. You gasped in surprise and slammed a hand over your mouth. Except you missed. Your arm wasn't long enough.

You heard a happy coo from behind you. You tried to turn around and promptly tripped over your own feet. A long, green tail waved in the air as you tried to roll over and gain your balance back.

You managed to crawl over to where Genji was and climb up to look at him. Genji was reaching out to you with the happiest look on his face. At least he was safe. You tried to reach over to Genji with your hand, but it had long claws. And only three fingers. You growled again and took it away.

"Whoa! Shifter, is that you?!" Tracer called from the door behind you, "I hope it is," she added.

You had to answer Tracer in some way to communicate that it was you, so you struggled some more and finally used your arms to stand. You craned your neck backwards to take stock of what the heck you were. A long, scaled body extended from your neck. A yellow mane snaked its way down your back. You were too long for the length of the Orca, so your tail was stuck tapping nervously against the wall.

"Wow. You look...AMAZING!"

You wanted to answer her, but you weren't sure you could speak. You tilted your head, thinking. Genji was still reaching for you, and he was starting look frustrated that he wasn't getting what he wanted. You could see it a mile away, he was about to fuss.

Your point of view was suddenly much lower. You almost fell over. You had shifted back to Genji.

"Hey, you okay?"

Tracer ran over to scrutinize you. She helped you up after deciding you were fine. You picked up baby Genji, and you were immediately relieved. Genji seemed content, too.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You should check with Dr. Ziegler when we get back," she said, her brows furrowing in thought before her face lit up, "but I think...you just got a few form!"

"Yeah. I don't know what happened, though."

The idea of a checkup put a suppressor on your ability to be excited about this development.

"I got that covered. Athena!"

She walked over to one of the screens on the wall. You followed.

"Athena. Can you play back what happened on the Orca the last five minutes?"

"Of course, Agent Tracer."

A number of squares appeared on the screen, each showing a different view of the interior. Tracer pressed her pointer finger on one of them, and it enlarged. You both watched intently.

It showed your face-off with Sombra and Genji behind you.

"What the hell is that..."

A small, green, snake-like creature flew out of Genji and disappeared into your back. Your eyes widened. What happened next was your unusual shape change. You were a dragon, with a yellow fringe along your jaw and horns jutting back from your skull. You loomed over Sombra with your mouth open and sharp teeth on display. She fled, as you saw before.

You made an embarrassed "ugh" when you saw yourself awkwardly flail around on the floor, a mess of green scaled limbs and tail, white belly up in the air. What happened next was also interesting. The green creature left your body to rejoin Genji's, immediately forcing your change back.

You looked down at him, as if he would provide answers. Which he wouldn't. Not only was he still a baby, but he was asleep.

"Oh, right. It's his nap time."

You yawned. It surprised you to find that you were sleepy. It felt like the day had been long and arduous.

"I think Dr. Ziegler should look at you and Genji when we get back," you heard Lena say. Your eyelids dipped down. You fought to keep them up. Genji felt like he weighed three times more than he usually did.

"...no..."

"C'mon, Love. Just sit here and get some rest. You earned it."

She guided you to one of the safety seats, and you sat down.

"...yeah. I did," you responded sleepily.

It was difficult to care about anything besides sleep. Tracer gently freed your hands from Genji and took him. You whined incoherently at her.

"Don't worry. I'll give him back when we get back. I promise."

"Okay," was the last thing you said before letting your head rest against the metal next to your head. Everything went black.

After successfully driving Talon back, McCree pulled Winston aside. As much as he could, considering the commander's size.

"Sir, dontcha think it's real suspicious that we expected more soldiers out there, today?"

"Yes. You think they're planning something else?"

"Oh, I know it."

"These people are tired. Let's let them get some rest, and then have another meeting tomorrow morning."


	13. Fuck this Shit

You didn't bolt upright from your bed like in the movies. Instead, you rolled around, grumbling. It was unusual for Genji to be screaming this early. He robbed you of a few more hours of sleep, and you wondered how close the cliff was to your room. When you did sit up, allowing Genji to see that you were there, so he stopped screaming. Thank god. Except...you two weren't alone. Someone was standing near the door, holding a familiar-shaped bundle. That bundle had better not be who you thought it was.

In your morning haze, your next thoughts were,

_Why did she wake him...?!_

Followed very closely by,

_I'm going to kill you, bitch._

"I don't think I need to tell you not to move."

"Put him down," you said, raging coldly.

Sombra's lips curled into a maddening smirk.

"Interesting choice of words."

" _You did not just say that_ ," you seethed, unconsciously leaning forward an inch, because you were itching to launch yourself across the room and wrestle her to the ground, even as just yourself.

"Ehhh. Be still."

You were trying to plan a way to rectify this situation, but the gun pointed at the baby's head was an issue. Genji's spirit dragon decided to take matters into its own claws and spur things along. It flitted from Genji into your stomach, but not so quick that Sombra didn't see.

"I thought I told you-"

"I don't control it," you yelled. You were starting to lose your temper.

Sombra found this development worrying. She started to walk backwards towards the door, which was stuck open. No doubt she was responsible for that. She kept the muzzle of her weapon pointed at Genji. The dragon pressed on your mind urgently. You knew what it wanted, but a dragon wouldn't fit well in here. And trying to crawl around the hallways on four legs would be awkward. It disagreed, and the press started to hurt like a mild headache. Blood pounded in your head.

In an instant, Sombra stealthed, along with Genji. You knew she just ran out the door, but it was still like she ripped out your heart and took off with it. There was a hole in your heart, and it was sore.

If she could hack her way around the base, she could be anywhere in a short time. Genji would be gone. The headache sharpened for a moment, making you suck in a breath through your teeth.

"C'mon," you pleaded out loud, "I'm on your side here."

There was nothing like someone stealing a baby from you to make you focus on the problem at hand. You had to get him back. There was nothing else.

You got out of bed and paced back and forth restlessly, deep in thought. If Sombra had a preplanned escape route, there was no point in trying to follow her. It would be best to assume the worst, that she could get through any door if she tried. You wouldn't be beating her at her own game. Where would she be heading, and could you head her off if her plan was to leave the watchpoint?

What did Reaper attempt last time he was here? He tried to hack Athena. The little device he was using was probably provided by Sombra herself.

"Athena?"

Silence. That sent a chill down your body like a hundred spiders crawling on your skin. If she was down, what about the other agents? Were they safe? But...Genji. You felt sorry about not checking with them first, but you couldn't risk Sombra going into hiding with him.

The spirit dragon eased up somewhat when you chose Genji to help you escape out of the window. You punched the window a few times with his metal fist and climbed out. After fumbling your grip, and silently cursing your rustiness, you dangled outside, hanging onto the window frame, with your feet supporting your weight on the wall.

You heard voices and glanced down. Figures with the familiar black Talon gear patrolled down below. This was worse than you thought. Although, it made sense. If Athena was down, then now would be perfect to move in on the watchpoint. Genji was built for climbing, and you needed a better view of the situation, so you made your way to the roof.

You froze when you realized you weren't the only one up there. The tall, slim, dark figure of Widowmaker stood ten feet from you. She hadn't heard you yet.

"I do not see a giant flying lizard, Sombra," Widow hissed.

Was she talking about you? To Sombra? If it was you they wanted, you wouldn't mind giving it to them. If you put pressure on Widow, maybe it would force Sombra out of hiding. Also, you had to direct your anger at someone. Slowly, carefully, you drew your Dragonblade and dashed forward. The green trail you left behind you took the physical shape of a body and tail with bright green scales. Your body became the head, and you opened your mouth, growling loudly.

Widow whipped around just in time to see your sharp teeth coming straight for her. She dropped to the metal of the roof hard, with a pained noise. Her rifle clattered to the floor. Your bite had missed, but you slammed your jaws shut anyway. You wanted her to know that she narrowly missed her death.

You had to reign it in. If Widowbitch died right here, Sombra would have no reason to return. You planted your feet and puffed your chest out, towering over her. She twisted around quickly with the grace of a cat and tried to grab her rifle to use its semi-automatic function and spray bullets in your face, but you saw this coming. You whipped your tail around from behind you to smack it out of her hands. You misjudged your strength, however, and she dropped the rifle with a scream. Widowmaker glared coldly up at you, cradling her arm, and shrinking away from you. You might have broken it.

You didn't care though, because you were losing control of your temper again. You were pleased that you made this woman scream in pain. You leaned forward, sneering, and glaring into her yellow eyes with your own. A few strands of hair had come free from her ponytail and dangled in her face. You had to make her call Sombra. When she didn't, you snapped forward at her again like a cobra, keeping your lips peeled back, putting your long, sharp teeth on display. She scooted backwards, her expression becoming more tired and wary than defiant.


	14. A Helping Claw

"Sombra," she snapped, "Get back here, and give me backup!"

Widowmaker spends the wait for Somba with her own little sneer tightening her lips. An annoyed, unimpressed stare was all she got back. The image of you rolling over and squishing her with your thick belly played in your mind. But no, she had to live just a little longer. 

Twenty awkward minutes later, Sombra appeared with a very upset baby Genji. _That's a good boy_ , you thought to yourself, _Scream in her ears_.

You made a gruff sound and shoved your paw in her face, demanding his immediate return. The end of your tail tapped on the ground impatiently. Even more awkward than the wait is Sombra placing Genji back in your care. After she does, you lower your head, so that it's between him and Sombra. You have the impression that she's the kind of person who doesn't like losing.

You would have loved to laugh in her face and rub it in that she lost _and_ had to come back. Instead, you glare at her until she walks away. Widowmaker is already up off the ground and ready to leave the watchpoint altogether. She's angry and when Sombra comes near, Widowmaker gives her a piece of her mind.

"The risks you had us take...it's too much! I'm done with you."

Sombra tried to offer help to her because of her arm, but she shoved Sombra back with a wince. You watched them walk away, feeling like it was terribly wrong. Off go two key members of Talon, and you have to let them go. You don't regret it, though. Genji is safe in your hands. 

Well, paw...Arm?

You're holding him close with his body laying along your arm and his head cradled in your clawed fist. You can spy out of one of your eyes that he's reaching for you again. All you can do is angle the side of your giant head down to rub on his tummy. You're rewarded with a sharp pain when he pulls the yellow tufts growing out of your jaw. How long you stood there, wiggling your body in frustration, tugging ever so gently to get his fingers off was more than you're ever willing to admit.

With great care not to jostle the baby, and because you now only have three available limbs, you waddle awkwardly around to face the rest of the watchpoint. You snort out a breath, confused and frustrated. What now?

A sound of something heavy landing nearby makes you turn your head in alarm (you would have turned more, but...baby). The familiar sight and sound of D.Va's mech walking towards you calmed your nerves.

"Whoooooaaaa...look at you!"

You growled softly in greeting.

"Shifter! We have to do something," D.Va exclaimed, her expression now more serious, "I managed to get my mekka, but everyone is trapped inside the watchpoint. A lot of the doors won't open, and Athena won't answer."

"Of course, the comms are down," she added, ending the sentence with an annoyed growly noise.

You both turned your attention to the Talon lackies swarming below. It was strange that they were still here after Widowmaker and Sombra left. It spoke volumes of how disposable these people were to the two. Disgusting. As if to correct your pity for them, one of them shot at you and D.Va, making you retreat, tailing thumping impatiently on the ground.

You wanted to scurry away and hide. This was unfair. An entire watchpoint full of agents should be here, to take care of this. You're a goddamn parent right now. A dragon holding a baby. And the irrational feeling that Genji would suddenly be unsafe if you weren't holding him personally was twisting and turning in your stomach, rooting you to the ground.

You chuffed. All those things meant nothing if your home was unsafe. You shuffled closer to D.Va and offered Genji to her. You hoped she took the hint quick, so that maybe the dread chilling your bones would stop. She took the baby and you couldn't look at him, feeling like you betrayed him.

"You can count on me, Shifter," she assured you enthusiastically.

You heard the sound of the glass on the front of D.Va's mekka slam shut. It was time to show these people your wrath.

You were hoping that being loud and intimidating would win half the battle for you, but you were sadly mistaken. You got a flank full of stinging pulse rounds for that. You were probably bleeding. You were trying to not panic now, because that would affect your ability to fight. If only the dragon itself could take over. It probably knew what to do with its own body, right?

Surprisingly, the dragon did respond to that. This time it tugged on your mind instead of pressing. Made it feel like more of an enquiry than the demand you got earlier. Please! you thought. It tugged harder. You were confused. Why didn't it listen? More bullets hit your body, and things seemed hopeless. You didn't train to fight like this at all. Perhaps this is where things ended.

As soon as you started to give up, the dragon took over. It was the strangest, and possibly the scariest, thing you'd ever experienced. Partially, because if the dragon didn't look, you didn't see. You felt what it felt, but your body moved on its own.

The dragon charged forward immediately into a clump of soldiers to the left of the center of the group. You were dizzy for a second, trying to keep up with where it was going. You almost got a grip when it stopped. A few unlucky soldiers had been trampled. Their screams threatened to make you dizzy again. It was awful. The feeling of dread in your stomach returned, along with nausea. 

The screaming continued. The dragon surveyed the rest of the enemies. They shifted restlessly, but otherwise held their fire.

The dragon's forearms flexed, and the screaming stopped. Then it lifted a paw and flicked a now-silent body off its claws into the crowd. It only took a few seconds before everyone decided they weren't being paid enough for this and turned to run. The paw hung in the air, blood dripping to the ground.

The dragon wanted to charge after them again, but it slipped and fell forward, snout scraping across the ground. Turns out there was more than just the soldiers' blood on the ground. The bullet wounds from earlier had been oozing your blood the entire time, as well. The realization made all the pain come rushing at once. You kicked and grumbled on the floor, unable to do anything. Your head was too heavy for your neck. The corners of your vision were shrinking inward.

You had the vague feeling of being unsatisfied. You hoped that was the dragon's feeling. What it did while it had control was horrifying.

The last thing you remembered before your eyes dropped close was a lone soldier begging for mercy.

No, that's not right. A weight pressed on your brain, and your heart pumped furiously, trying to send your remaining blood to your head. You struggled to piece together why your enemy was gently patting your neck. You heard the stranger's voice again and realized it was Jesse.

"How do you find a darned dragon's pulse, anyway," he grumbled.

He had been calling for agent Mercy.

"Whoa, there," he yelled, when you swiped weakly at him with your bloodied claws.

Even in your severely injured state, you loathed to have anything to do with that woman. You tried to stay conscious, ready to fight her off the way the dragon fought the Talon lackies. It was foolish, though, because you couldn't even lift your body off the ground. The ground...which seemed extra chilly for some reason that couldn't come to you.


	15. Happily Ever After-ish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That fluff I promised you dudes like a month ago!

You woke, but it was a great effort to open your eyes. There was no way you could be able to move your body. You were completely drained. If someone asked, you would tell them, _Yes, my body is indeed made of lead right now_. You remembered the battle before, and all the pain you had been in at the end. You half-expected the pain to return at any moment, but all you felt was the vague high from painkillers you had no doubt been given and a slight chill that came with being so tired. The logic follows, then, that you were back at the watchpoint in the medbay.

You didn't want to be here. You felt you belonged back in your room, taking care of baby Genji, not lying here being useless. You summoned the energy to whine softly to the empty room, trying to complain to the world about how miserable and tired you were.

"Hey," a soft, slightly-distorted voice said to you from your left side.

Your eyes widened slightly. You weren't alone. A familiar, and sorely missed, strip of glowing green leaned into your view.

"I am on doctor's orders to go back to my own room and bed, but I had to see you."

You were so happy to see him and wanted badly to reach out to him, but you couldn't. Your fingers twitched. Genji must have noticed, because he reached forward. He rested his hand on the bed just shy of your fingertips.

"I am fine, now. Thanks to Winston. And you," he paused and scooted forward on the chair he was sitting on, "I, umm..."

He looked down and then back up at you.

"It is not every day you find someone willing to do the things you did for me these past few weeks," he tentatively stroked the top of one of your fingers with his own, and you could feel the grippy pad on it catch gently on the skin, "Jesse told me all about it."

"I'm also told that you will have few scars, if any; that you just need rest."

That was good news, but you still wanted to communicate with him. You had so much to say. You had to own up to what happened before this all started. You wanted to tell him all about the bad but also the good. Because of how exhausted you were, your frustration level from zero to a hundred in a few seconds. All you could do was whine again, and tears welled up in your eyes.

"I am here; I am here," he said, trying to sooth you.

He moved your arm towards your body and sat on the bed in its place. His hand gripped your shoulder. When you didn't protest, he reached up to run his fingers through the hair just above your ear. It was so relaxing to be touched like that, that your eyes threatened to close. They almost did when he combed his fingers through your hair a few more times.

"Hmmm. I know what will cheer you up," he informed you, sounding more like the playful Genji you knew.

You let a breath out of your nose in frustration when he took his hand away. He arranged himself lying down on the bed next to you and cuddled close. He loosely wove his fingers with the hand between the two of you and produced a cell phone with the other.

"Hana sent me some things that she thinks we should see."

He unlocked the screen, and you watched curiously.

He scrolled through the menu and then brought up a bunch of thumbnails of photos. They looked vaguely familiar. He enlarged one.

It was you, with Hanzo, and baby Genji sitting between you. This was when he first refused to eat, and Lucio had to help you out. You had no idea DVa had been taking pictures of you.

"Ohhh. I was a cute baby, huh? And look at you two putting up with my shit."

He sucked in a dramatic gasp and looked up at you.

"Who taught me to swear? That would be you."

Your eyes widened again when you realized the implication. He laughed.

"Relax," he said, sounding like he was grinning, "I barely remember what happened. It is mostly fuzzy images and some words," he assured you. You both returned your attention to the pictures again.

"This one is a video. Why am I wearing one of your shirts? You are tossing me in the air. Classic but fun."

"This one...Hanzo is holding me, but...is he crying? I am not sure if I should ask him about this."

He hummed his appreciation at the next one.

"We look really cute here."

He turned the screen towards you to give you a better look. It was you, sitting on the Orca. You're sitting on one of the safety seats. Your head is bent forward, because you're asleep. Genji, also asleep, is in your lap. He's hanging on to the neck of your shirt yet again.

"You must tell me later what had happened to tire us out so."

You remembered. It was the first time you had transformed into the green dragon. This photo was from the flight back to the watchpoint. Tracer must have put him back in your lap. How sweet of her.

"This next one..."

Words must have failed him, and you knew why. It was a photo taken from above, no doubt from Hana's mekka. It was you, as Genji's spirit dragon made manifest. You were involved in an intense fight with the Talon soldiers around you.

He swiped the screen, and it was similar to the previous; it was you, but standing amongst the Talon soldiers. A few dots of dark red painted your body from the bullets you had been hit with. Without a word, he swiped to the next. Again, you but with more red. He kept swiping, and the amount of red in the picture steadily increased. He stared at the last one, you laying on the ground, for a little while.

He gently squeezed your hand and twisted around on the bed to nuzzle the side of your face with his mask.

"I am back now, so you don't have to do that ever again."

This was the first time Genji had said something that meant so much and implied his long-term commitment to you. Again, from the exhaustion, your feelings were overwhelming and a few tears rolled down your cheeks.

"None of that," he said, twisting around some more to let go of your hand and lean on his forearm. He removed his faceplates, and you vaguely saw through the tears that he was also misty-eyed. But his expression was gentle, and he nuzzled you again. This time with the warm skin of his nose and cheek. 

The sweet affection just had you crying harder. He cuddled you for a good while, and you'd never felt so safe since before your appointment with Dr. Ziegler. You were sad when he pulled away to get off the bed, but you couldn't help a smile when he snapped his faceplates back in place and said:

"Now! You need more sleep, and I am going to go ask Jesse if he still thinks I'm cute."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may assume the dragon went back to helping Genji only, since he's no longer in danger. Though, it would be cool to imagine Shifter taking advantage of the spirit dragon's power in the future when he's inevitably in danger again.


	16. Epilogue

Genji met with Winston. McCree was there, too, for various reasons. Genji didn't question it. What he did want to question was why Winston let Angela operate with her old level of clearance, resources, and access to agents, as a doctor, knowing full well what she had done. When Genji found out about what happened, he got very frustrated. Right now, he wanted to yell and scold and slam his sword down into the desk. But he knew better than to behave in such a manner, and he did not have either sword handy.

Glancing at McCree, he also knew situations like this were never black and white.

The three males stared at each other. McCree and Winston on one side of the desk, looking uncomfortable. Genji, on the other side, trying his best to look calm, but the other two knew him better. All of them knew how the conversation would go.

_We needed her expertise._

_We were worried about your well-being._

_Talon was coming to destroy Overwatch again._

_The world needs Overwatch._

_It wasn't the best situation._

_Genji, I'm sorry._

_We're both sorry._

In the past, Genji would have tried to see it from their point of view, but things are different in his mind. His priorities have shifted, because, whether or not you knew it, he considered the two of you his new little two-person family. Considering his particular set of skills, he wouldn't hesitate to kill for you if the situation called for it. 

"She goes, or I do."

He would also abandon Overwatch a second time, for and with you, if it meant your safety and peace of mind, extreme as it seemed.

"Fair 'nuff," McCree said, when Winston looked like he wanted to interject.

Winston did look at McCree, surprised at the slight insubordination, but he let it go. He was about to say something similar, anyway. Doing some quick thinking in his head, Winston replied,

"Including all necessary preparations, I can have her gone in approximately two weeks. Maybe less, if I can find a replacement. No replacement is going to be as qualified, but we do have extenuating circumstances..."

Winston shifted uncomfortably in his seat and did not continue.

Genji sighed inwardly.

"Very well."

It wasn't the immediate solution he was hoping for in his heart, but it would have to do.

McCree looked exhausted, like he had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for forty years. Maybe he had. Their bungle of the Mercy situation only added to that. 

"I need a smoke. I'll be back...later."

Winston recognized that look. It was the same look he wore when Jesse left Blackwatch. Winston and Genji knew better than to argue with him. It was better to let him decide on his own to come back. Most likely, he would. If only because he'll miss Genji, and Shifter needed someone to keep them in line.

Although, perhaps not. You did things Genji never thought he'd see you do. You were more of a survivor than previously thought. That put a momentary small smile on his face. It dropped when he remembered that Dr. Ziegler was going to be remaining at the watchpoint for two more weeks.

Genji had fully intended to behave and wait out those two weeks. When his first thorough checkup came around, however, his blood started to boil as soon he saw her. His chest started to heave with furious breaths. He couldn't help loudly demanding why she hurt you, startling her into dropping what she was holding.

"Not that it matters; you have already done it," he muttered.

"Genji..."

"Don't. I don't want to hear my name from your mouth again."

Defensiveness was written all over her face.

"If you've come here to tell me off, then you know what Shifter did. How could a person who has betrayed your trust like that ever be a good partner to you?!"

Genji suspected she was only saying this, because she still harboured false hope that he would change his mind and take back his rejection. He had already decided that it didn't matter. Her feelings and wants were no one longer his business and vice versa.

"That is _my_ decision and none of your concern."

Angela's eyes fell back to the floor. A couple of tears ran down her cheeks. Then she looked up, her expression having gained fresh pain and determination. It wasn't an expression Genji had seen on her face before. Then again, he didn't know she could commit a crime such as rape before. So a new expression didn't faze him.

"You've said your piece," she said, wiping her eyes, "I think you should leave."

This angered Genji more.

"On the contrary, I think _you_ should leave," he replied with forceful words, "Leave Overwatch. I hear that you already did so once."

He had one more thing to say to her.

"Since we all learned Reaper was Captain Reyes...I have _never_ been more disappointed in a former colleague."

Genji refused to look at her face after that, refused to acknowledge any impact his words had. She wasn't worth his energy anymore. Genji wished he had McCree's habit of spitting, so he could further show his disgust for her. That wasn't his style. Instead, he turned around and left. She was right, he had said what he wanted to say. Saying any more would just rile him up. He would much rather get right to being a good partner to you. He wanted to check on your state of mind, make sure you were okay, and offer a sympathetic ear.

When he learned later that she disappeared from the watchpoint without warning the next day, he refused to dwell on it. Let Winston and McCree deal with it.


End file.
